1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to medical instruments. More particularly, the present disclosure is directed to selectively deformable medical devices for use in a surgical procedure.
2. Background of the Related Art
The use of radio-frequency (RF) and other forms of energy to create therapeutic lesions in living bodies to facilitate healing has been around for many decades. Ablation electrodes, for example, are configured to be inserted into a living body and to apply energy to surrounding tissue to form these tissue lesions. A typical ablation electrode incorporates an insulated sheath from which an exposed (uninsulated) tip extends that emits energy to surrounding tissue to create a tissue lesion.
Generally, the ablation electrode is coupled between a grounded RF power source, e.g., an electrosurgical generator, and a reference ground or indifferent electrode, e.g., return electrode pad, that is in contact with and dimensioned to engage a large surface of the body. When an RF voltage is provided between the ablation electrode and the reference ground, RF current flows from the ablation electrode through the body and back to the energy source via the return electrode pad. Typically, the current density is very high near the tip of the ablation electrode, which heats and destroys the adjacent tissue.
Many surgical instruments incorporate deformable or bendable shafts that allow the instrument to be better positioned within an internal surgical site. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,911,029 to Platt, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein, discloses an electrosurgical coagulator including an articulatable member. With respect to ablation devices, providing a deformation system that allows for bending or deformation would facilitate the insertion and/or placement of the electrode within a living body adjacent the target tissue to be treated.